As regular readers know, I have been invited to be the guest speaker at the Moose Jaw Transition House event to commemorate The National Day of Remembrance & Action on Violence Against Women. When I received the invite to this event I thought, Wow! Yes! And then I thought, Why me? I’ve never used the services of a T-House or a shelter. I’ve never been harmed, not really.

And then I stopped myself, because I realized that yes, I have been harmed. I have been sexually abused and sexually assaulted and I have stories — poems — which relate to those experiences. Yes, they’re embellished, but still, they speak truth, truths which hold true for many women, I’m sure. We are victims of violence, yes. And if we can live past the abuse and assault, we become survivors, too. And we can live rich and full lives.

And so, the focus of my talk will be on our survival and it will be a talk that is both personal and political, prosaic and poetic, as well as earthy and spiritual. And who knows, I might even break into song!

I hope you can be there.

Here are the details:

A poetry reading and talk to commemorateThe National Day of Remembrance & Action on Violence Against Women
with Bernadette Wagner